Volunteers brave Storm Darragh and plant 60 new trees around Newbury

Volunteers braved Storm Darragh and came together to plant 60 new trees throughout Newbury at the weekend to enhance the town’s natural environment.

The planting– which took place on Sunday, December 8 – was a joint effort between Newbury in Bloom, Newbury Town Council, The Sewa Group and Newbury Friends of the Earth.

The trees were planted at Fifth Road Playground, across the school grounds of St Bartholomew’s and John Rankin and in some other spots in central Newbury.

Planting participants included Sewa volunteers, Friends of the Earth members, St Bart’s pupils, representatives from John O’Conner Maintenance Ltd, and members of the town council’s green spaces working group.

Town councillor Ian Jee said: “We collaboratively planted a variety of mostly native deciduous trees, including plums, cherries, and London planes.

“It’s inspiring to see how partnerships with community groups and schools can make such a meaningful impact on our local environment.”

Sewa group member Sanjeev Agarwala said: “To promote environmental conservation and sustainable urban development Hindu community group HSS Sewa and Sewa Day were pleased to team up with Newbury Town Council to plant these trees.

“Last year, in a similar exercise, we planted 108 trees at different Newbury locations.”

Since 2018, Sewa Day volunteers have taken part in multiple litter picking days around Newbury, arranged coffee mornings to raise funds for local charities and collected food from supermarkets and donated it to those in need every week.